COTABATO CITY, Aug 3 (PNA) — Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Toto Mangudadatu has declared his all-out support for the presidential bid of Interior and Local Government Sec. Manuel Mar Roxas in next year’s presidential elections.
“I am a party man, I subscribes to the rules of the Liberal Party, I and the entire Maguindanao leadership are behind Sec. Mar Roxas,” Mangudadatu told reporters Monday.
President Aquino named Roxas as the administration’s presidential candidate in the 2016 presidential elections.
Mangudadatu said all the incumbent vice governor, board members and municipal mayors in Maguindanao’s 36 towns are members of Liberal Party.
The governor said all other provincial governors in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) were also supporting Roxas.
ARMM has about 1.3 million registered voters as of 2013 elections.
Mangudadatu, LP Maguindanao provincial chair, said he was recommending that Roxas should step down as DILG secretary to erase suspicion that he will be using the DILG and the attach agencies for his presidential bid.
Roxas on Monday announced his resignation as DILG chief but told reporters he would continue as cabinet member if his resignation would be denied.
Mangudadatu said the concern, projects, efforts and development the Aquino administration extended to Maguindanao were the barometers for Roxas victory in the province.
ARMM is composed of the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. (PNA)